Free Birth Society

Free Birth Society
Formation2017 (2017)
FounderEmilee Saldaya
TypeFree birth advocacy
Location

The Free Birth Society (FBS) is a US-based company that advocates for childbirth without medical assistance, also known as free birth. The FBS sells online courses and private consultations and produces podcasts and social media content.

FBS was founded in 2017 by influencer and former doula Emilee Saldaya, who does not have medical training.[a] A 2025 investigation by Guardian journalists found at least 48 instances of stillbirths, neonatal fatalities, or other "serious harm" that were seemingly linked to FBS.[3][4][5] As part of the investigation, medical experts said that FBS content included "misleading" or "dangerous" guidance,[3] and that Saldaya and business partner Yolande Norris-Clark made "false or dangerous claims about hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, retained placenta and infant resuscitation".[6] The American College of Nurse-Midwives, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agree that "hospitals and accredited birth centers are the safest settings for birth" in the US.[7]

Activities

The Free Birth Society advocates the practice of unassisted childbirth, also known as free birth, in which a medical birth attendant does not assist with the birth.[1][8] The organization, formed in 2017, is based in North Carolina, US.[2] It has sold online courses and private consultations and has produced podcasts and social media content.[1]

In the online community associated with the organization, women provide support for giving birth outside the hospital.[9] As of 2025, its social media account was reported to have more than 132,000 followers while its podcast, one of the largest podcasts on birth, had been downloaded more than 5 million times.[10]

Medical claims and reception

Qualifications of FBS employees

NBC News reported in 2020 that both the FBS's founder, influencer Emilee Saldaya, and her Canadian business partner and FBS instructor, Yolande Norris-Clark, both former doulas (a non-medical birth worker), did not have medical training.[1][2] FBS-trained "birth attendants" claim not to advertise themselves as licensed midwives, but because they dispense advice around pregnancy and birth, some mothers assume they are medically trained and able to assist in emergencies.[2] According to the Cleveland Clinic, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agree that "hospitals and accredited birth centers are the safest settings for birth" in the country but do "offer clinical guidance in hopes that it leads to the best possible outcome" for those who opt for a home birth.[7]

The Guardian investigation

A 2025 investigation by Guardian journalists found at least 48 instances of stillbirths, neonatal fatalities, or other "serious harm" that were seemingly linked to FBS.[3][4][5] According to the Guardian, medical experts said that FBS content included "misleading" or "dangerous" guidance,[3] and that Saldaya and business partner Yolande Norris-Clark previously made "false or dangerous claims about hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, retained placenta and infant resuscitation".[6] Responding to an inquiry from the media outlet, Saldaya stated that "Some of these allegations are false or defamatory"; after the investigation's publication, Saldaya made a statement on Instagram that addressed "propaganda on mainstream news".[2]

The Guardian also found that some trusts within the United Kingdom's National Health Service had been directing women who were considering free birth to a website that contained a weblink to the FBS podcast.[11]

Political views

The New York Times critic-at-large Amanda Hess observed in her book Second Life: "The [FBS] once issued palatable progressive statements, emphasizing that they were inclusive of everyone who gives birth... But after I started following the society, in 2020, the language of inclusivity seemed muted in favor of antivaccine conspiracy theorizing, critique of internet woke culture, and protest against transgender ideology."[12] The organization's Instagram account made a post which celebrated the 2024 announcement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine activist, as the U.S. health secretary during the second presidency of Donald Trump.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Saldaya and her business partner and FBS instructor, Yolande Norris-Clark, are both former doulas.[1][2] NBC News reported in 2020 that the two do not "appear to have medical experience or expertise."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Brandy, Zadrozny (February 21, 2020). "She wanted a 'freebirth' with no doctors. Online groups convinced her it would be OK". NBC News. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kale, Sirin; Osborne, Lucy (December 9, 2025). "'There's no longer a heartbeat': the couple whose twins were stillborn – and the 'birth keeper' they blame". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Kale, Sirin; Osborne, Lucy (December 3, 2025). "Death of Irish mother in 'free birth' reveals how poor maternity care is pushing women towards extreme influencers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Forshaw, Irenie (November 27, 2025). "The controversial Free Birth Society". The Week. Retrieved March 2, 2026. During its investigation, The Guardian identified 48 cases of late-term stillbirths, neonatal deaths or other forms of "serious harm" involving births that appeared to be linked to the FBS.
  5. ^ a b Robertson, Rachael (December 4, 2025). "'Freebirth' Movement Is Dangerous to Moms but Reflects Real Concerns, Ob/Gyns Say". MedPage Today. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  6. ^ a b Kale, Sirin; Osborne, Lucy (November 22, 2025). "Influencers made millions pushing 'wild' births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Home Birth". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved February 25, 2026. The American College of Nurse Midwives, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agree that hospitals and accredited birth centers are the safest settings for birth in the United States [...] and offer clinical guidance in hopes that it leads to the best possible outcome.
  8. ^ Kee, Caroline (November 9, 2018). "Infant's Death Sparks A Heated Debate Around The "Free Birth" Movement". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  9. ^ Grieve, Charlotte (November 7, 2025). "Inside freebirthing: Empowerment, distrust and a growing dogma". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  10. ^ Schubert, Shannon (December 13, 2025). "Medical professionals sound alarm on rise of 'birthkeeper' influencers". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 2, 2026. ... the Freebirth Society podcast, has more than 5 million downloads, while its social media account has more than 132,000 followers.
  11. ^ Osborne, Lucy; Kale, Sirin (November 25, 2025). "NHS directed pregnant women to controversial Free Birth Society via charity". The Guardian. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Hess, Amanda (2025). Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age (First ed.). New York: Doubleday. ISBN 9780385549745.
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